Why is local SEO important? Have you asked yourself this as a business owner? There are several reasons to focus on local SEO specifically. Google has put a lot of emphasis recently on local searches, and as an owner, so can you! Let’s get started.
Local Keywords Rank Higher.
Stop for a moment and think about your own searches. When you do a search for a dentist, barber, mechanic, etc. what kind of device are you searching on usually? Do you use the phrase “near me” a lot when you are searching? Google knows this. Have you noticed recently that one of the first things that comes up (after all the paid ads that is) is a list of three businesses, along with their review count and proximity to your current location? Is it easy to click on one of those spots and start a google maps navigation? Well guess what: if your business is optimized for these kinds of searches, you are headed in the right direction. Studies have shown that 76% of people who look for a nearby business on their smartphones visit them within 24 hours, and 28% of these searches end in a purchase.
Getting Found in Local Searches Can Turn Into Offline Purchases
According to Retail Dive, 67% of people say that they research products before they buy it. Furthermore, an estimated 30% of all traffic goes to the results on the first page of the search results. If your business is coming up in a local search, chances are pretty good that you will see an increase in sales. So guess what? If your business is showing up on that front page, chances are you are going to see an increase in sales. If you’re not…there’s some optimizing to do.
Local SEO Can Help Generate Reviews From Nearby Clients
Think again about the last search you did. Say you were searching for an Italian restaurant near you. Did you focus on the first three in the results? Did you check out what others were saying? Were you looking for how many reviews they had and the overall star rating? These questions probably sound silly because we all do them so often that it has become second nature. Bottom line is this: if you do it to other businesses, your customers are doing it to you. So, it makes sense to stay on top of optimizing these areas for local SEO!
